Gnarvan AWD Express build.

iridewheelies

Adventurer
I have the same webasto gasoline furnace for my AWD express. I plan to put it in about the same spot you are. I'm struggling with the fuel pickup. I've thought about tapping into the tank through the top of the fuel pump or putting a tap through the tank. I think both the tank and the fuel pump bracket are plastic.

I'd love to hear your plan for tapping into the gas tank. I'm hoping to have it installed before the ski season starts.
 

TeleSteve

Adventurer
I have the same webasto gasoline furnace for my AWD express. I plan to put it in about the same spot you are. I'm struggling with the fuel pickup. I've thought about tapping into the tank through the top of the fuel pump or putting a tap through the tank. I think both the tank and the fuel pump bracket are plastic.

I'd love to hear your plan for tapping into the gas tank. I'm hoping to have it installed before the ski season starts.
If I get that far I hope to find out this weekend. I have a webasto pickup tube, I plan to drop the tank and see what the factory pickup looks like. If there is room I will add mine to it, if not I will make a new hole next to it directly in the tank. That is the plan anyway!
 

iridewheelies

Adventurer
This post gave me the idea to tap into the fuel pump assembly. https://www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm/fuseaction/thread/tid/27862825/print/true.cfm

I lucked out and ran into unbelivable a deal on Amazon for the fuel pump assembly for our vans. It dropped to $26 when there was only one left so I figured it was worth the risk. The price is back up to $126 right now, here is the link http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005OVK83O?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00

Here are some photos of the assembly and some possible tapping locations

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ert01

Adventurer
For a pretty easy solution, Google "fuel tank sump kit"
You can find them online for a reasonable price.
 

ert01

Adventurer
Yep. That's what I'm thinking of.

The benefit of using a sump kit like that is that it makes draining the fuel for any future servicing very easy. (Or if "someone" fills your diesel tank with gasoline by accident)

The downside is that it hangs a bit lower and can be damaged if you're off-roading hard. But if that's an issue for you, just find a suitably flat surface on the side of the tank and install it there. Might not be able to suck the tank totally dry in that scenario though.
 

TeleSteve

Adventurer

That would work, but a little pricey. I was originally just going to use a tank bulkhead fitting like this one:
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/v...94qyk8kCFY-VfgoddL4Ctw&ibanner=MobileSwitchNo
But found the webasto pickup for really cheap on eBay so went that route.
https://www.google.com/aclk?sa=l&ai...zk8kCFU_jYwodduADkw&ei=R_1IVqOhHs_GjwP2wI-YCQ
After dropping the tank and pulling the pump/sending unit it looked like the best route was to create a new hole in the top of the tank for the pickup. I used a step bit to drill the hole about 3-4" aft of the pump unit. I was able to put my hand in the tank through the pump opening to hold a rag to catch any debris. Although, to my surprise, the step bit drilled the plastic tank in one long plastic sliver out the top leaving the rag clean.
 
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iridewheelies

Adventurer
With a sump how would someone make sure the furnace doesn't use all of the fuel in the tank? I suppose you could add a pickup tube or something. It seems like a lot more trouble than just putting the webasto pickup in the top of the tank and sizing the tube to leave 1/4 to 1/8 of a tank available for the engine. Is there another advantage to the sump?
 

iridewheelies

Adventurer
Here's another idea from a Land Rover forum. This guy patched in a pickup tube on the fill hose where it enters the tank. It's a good way to do it without drilling any holes in the tank but I think it has too many down sides. The pickup tube might rattle around. It adds an additional junction that could fail and it would be hard to determine what level the pickup is at to know how much fuel will be left as a reserve if the heater is left on too long.
http://www.defender2.net/forum/topic12697.html
pickup2.jpg

pickup.jpg
 

TeleSteve

Adventurer
Rear platform built and foam cut to shape.
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Cabinets stained, 3 coats of urethane, inside carpeted, and going back together.
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Wiring cabinets for inverter.
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Adding plugs and vent trim.
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Final layer of wall insulation (Thermozite).
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Cut hole in floor for heater.
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Finished wall panels going in around gray vinyl pilar covers to match factory plastics.
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Assembled and wired cabinets installed and mounted.
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Counter top built and installed.
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Ronco water tank, these guys rock. I ordered an a1customs tank from Amazon that looked like a quality tank but there advertised dimensions were wrong and didn't fit. So at the last minute I called Ronco and Rich expedited an order for me and I had this custom tank in 2 days.
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TeleSteve

Adventurer
Made a frame mounted battery tray for the 8d AGM battery.
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I mounted a 150amp breaker/ disconnect to the battery tray, this way the whole battery tray could be disconnected and dropped. I drilled and tapped the frame so the tray bolts to it using seven 5/16" bolts. One of these bolts also serves as the frame ground.
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I connected the house battery to start battery with a blue sea ACR and another 150 amp breaker/disconnect.
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House battery cables ran inside through water tight strain reliefs and connect to the inverter. I branched off the inverter to a 100 amp breaker disconnect that feeds the fuse block.
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For plumbing I started out by cutting holes in the floor for the engine coolant lines running to the heat exchanger. I am running silicone heater hose to the back of the van, but used 1/2" copper to pass through the floor and connect to the exchanger. The copper passes through the floor through 3/4" water tight strain reliefs.
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The water lines are plumbed with 1/2" PEX. I am using a tempering valve to keep the hot water tame.
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The small silver valves are to,drain the system one hot, one cold, and one for the tank and pre pump lines. The hose bib is for pressure filling, but I had a 4" top inspection cap added to the tank so it could be filled from jugs if needed.




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TeleSteve

Adventurer
I ran water lines up to just behind the side doors to a small compartment the holds the shower sprayer and mixer valve.
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Eventually a sink cabinet will be added to the door and will tap in here. There is also an additional drain valve here since the plumbing had to go up and over the wheel well.
Just above the shower compartment is the switch panel for pump and lights with plenty of space to grow as needed.
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